Receptacle for collapsible drinking-cups.



w. E. SWIFT.

REGEPTACLEIFOR COLLAPSIBLE DRINKING CUPS. APPLlC/H'ION FILED JULY 7 1913.

1 2 1 24 9 Patented June 8, 1915;

- nvenzoz winesses. brdlzfivdi I STATES PATENT FFICE.

WILLARD E. SWIFT, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED STATES ENVELOPE COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1915.

Application filed July 7, 1913. Serial No. 777,621.

- Receptacles for Collapsible Drinking-Cups,

.of which the following, together with the accompanying drawing, is a specification.

My invention relates to receptacles for holding collapsible drinking cups and more particularly to receptacles adapted normally to hold and retain stacks of drinking cups therein,but so constructed that a drinking cup. may be easily withdrawn therefrom when desired for use.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved form of drinking cup receptacle which shall normally retain the stack of cups, but from which a cup may be easily and quickly withdrawn when desired. A fm-ther object of the invention is to provide a drinking cup receptacle which shall be simple in, constructionand, therefore, not costly so that it may be used as a shipping receptacle as well as a container for holding cups in convenient position and location to be withdrawn for use.

Further objects and advantages will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a receptacle constructed in accordance with my invention, the edge of the lowermost cup of a stack contained therein showing through the finger recess in the bottom of the receptacle; Fig. 2 is a rear view of the lower portion thereof; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1, a drinking cup being shown in position on the bottom of the receptacle; and Fig. 4 is a view of a 'blank from which the receptacle may be formed. Like reference charactersrefer to similar parts in the difi'erent figures.

In the form of the invention shown in the drawing the receptacle is formed from the blank shown in Fig. 4, the blank being cut from a piece of sheet material such as pasteboard. It is obvious that a more permanent form of container may be provided by using sheet metal in its construction, but I prefer to use pasteboard as it is lighter and cheaper and, therefore, more suitable when the receptacle is to be used as a shipping container for the cups.

The receptacle includes a back 1, two sides 2 and 3, a front 4, a top 5 and a bottom 6. The blank is creased along the dividing lines between the different portions and it is then folded to form the closed receptacle as shown in the drawing. The flaps 7 and 8 at the tops of the sides 2 and 3 respectively are folded down into a horizontal plane so as to lie beneath the top 5 and close the upper side corners of the receptacle. A'fiap 9 at the front of the cover 5 is inserted between the front 4 and the forward ends of the flaps 7 and 8 to hold the top 5 in position and to close the upper forward corner of the receptacle. The flap 10 at the bottom of the front 4 is bent inwardly'to lie inside the upper forward edge of the bottom 6 so as to close the corner between the front and the bottom.

The free side edge of the front 4 carries tongues 11, 12 and 13 which are bent around the forward vertical edge of the side 2 and inserted into slits 14-, 15 and 16 respectively in the side to secure the side 2 and the front 4 together. The free side edge of the bottom 6 carries tongues 17 and 18 which are bent around the lower edge of the side 2 and inserted in the slits 19 and 20 respectively in the side to secure the side 2 and the bottom 6 together. This completes the receptacle proper, no fastenings other than the tongues formed in cutting the blank being necessary.

The lower edges of the sides slope downwardly and rearwardly so as to cause the bottom 6 to slope correspondingly.

The lower edge of the back 1 of the receptacle is cut away slightly so as to leave a narrow opening or slot below the lower.

edge of the back and the lower rear edge of the bottom 6. This opening or slot is in the plane of the lowermost cup A of the stack within the receptacle so as to permit side edges which converge toward one end,

preferably toward the bottoms thereof as indicated in Fig. 3. The front of the re ceptacle is,.therefore, wider than the rear of the receptacle so that the cups will rest snugly between the sides-2 and 3, the sides line 3-3 of Fig. 1 to correspond with the convergence of the edges of the cups to be held within the receptacle. Thev forward a and wider end of the drinking cup is, therefore, somewhat Wider thanthe length of the opening or slot at the bottom of the back 1 and through which the cup is to be withdrawn so that the sides will serve to normally retain the lowermost cup within the receptacle or, in other words, to prevent its accidental displacement through the opening at the lower edge of the back 1. When a cup is desired for use, however, its narrow end may be seized through the finger recesses 21 and 22 and withdrawn throu h the opening, the edges of the cup at its wi er end yielding as they are forced toward each other by the converging sides 2 and 3 while the cup is being withdrawn. The force necessary to withdraw a cup is not great and the slight distortion of the wide end of the cup, as the cup is withdrawn, is not sufficient to injure the cup in any way.

The cost of a pasteboard receptacle constructed in the manner which-has been de scribed is very slight'and, as has been indicated, it forms an efficient and convenient box or container within which the stack of cups may be shipped. In case it is used for such purpose, additional security against accidental displacement of the cups within the receptacle may be provided by pasting a pair of narrow strips of paper 23 and 24 over the opening at the lower edge of the back 1. These strips of aper may be removed or broken when it 1s desired to withdraw a cup from the receptacle. A suspension tab 25 may be'secured to the upper rear corner of the receptacle so that it may be hung in any location convenient for those who are to use the cups.

A receptacle constructed in accordance I with my invention, therefore, forms a cheap and eificient shipping container for the cups and, at the same time, it serves as a simple and convenient holder for the cups and one from which a cup may be withdrawn easily and quickly when desired for use. The receptacle bemg also formed from cheap material and with very little labor, it may be discarded when the stack of cups contained within it are exhausted, it bemg then replaced by a new receptacle containing a full stack of cups.

A receptacle formed from. a single integral pasteboard blank, as has been described, is considered the most desirable embodiment of the invention for most purposes, although a; receptacle constructed from one or more pieces of sheet material of any sort, such as tin or sheet iron, will obviously possess many of the advantages sought for and a more permanent receptacle of this nature may be most desirable under certain condiconverging rearwardly in the plane of the;

or slot in one of its faces, said opening 01' slot being shorter than the width of a portion of the space for holding the cups, whereby a portion of a cup wider than said opening is distorted when forcibly with drawn therethrough.

2. A receptacle for collapsible drinking cups having convergent opposite edges, the space for the cups having convergent opposite sides, and there being an opening or slot at the narrower extremity of said cup space and in the plane of the normal position of a cup within the receptacle, whereby a portion of a cup wider than said opening is distorted when forcibly withdrawn therethrough.

3. A receptacle for drinking cups having convergent opposite edges, the receptacle having an opening or slot to permit the withdrawal of a. cup and having substantially immovable means for pressing against one of said convergent cup edges as the cup is withdrawn, whereby accidental displacement of'the cup through the opening is prevented and the wider portion of the cup is distorted when forcibly'withdrawn through the opening. 1 a

4. A receptacle for :collapsible drinking cups having convergent opposite edges, the receptacle having a sloping face with convergent opgosite edges, and sides extending upwardly om the convergent edges of said face,'there being an opening or slot at the narrow end ofsaid ace to permit withdrawal of a cu from the receptacle, whereby aportion o a cup wider than said opening is distorted when forcibly withdrawn therethrough.

above the narrow end of said face, the lower edge of the latter wall being spaced from the adjacent edge of said face to form an opening for the withdrawal of a cup from the receptacle, whereby a portion of a on wider than said opening is distorted when orcibly withdrawn therethrough.

6. A package of'collapsible drinking cups, said package including a container having a face with convergent edges, a stack of drinking cups having convergent opposite edges within the container,-there bein an opening or slot at the narrow end of sai face of the container, and abreakable strip of material across the opening to retain the cups within the container, whereby a portion of a cup wider than said opening is distorted when forcibly withdrawn through said opening after breaking said breaka 1e strip of material.

7. A package of collapsible drinking cups, said package including a container having a sloping face with convergent edges, a stack of drinking cups having convergent opposite edges within the container, the container having an opening or slot in the plane of the inner surface of said sloping face and at its narrower edge, and "removable means for retaining the cups within .the container, whereby a portion of a cup wider than said the cups, whereby a portion of, a on opening is distorted when forcibly withdrawn therethrough.,

8. A receptacle for collapsible drinking cups having convergent opposite edges, the receptacle being formed from a single blank of flexible sheet material and being provided with an opening or slot shorter than the width of a portion of the space for holding wider than said opening is distorted when orcibly withdrawn therethrough.

9. A receptacle for collapsible drinking cups having convergent opposite edges, the receptacle being. formed from flexible sheet material and having a sloping face with convergent edges, there being an opening or slot at the narrow end of the sloping face to permit withdrawal of a cup from the receptacle,

whereby a portion of a cup wider than said opening is distorted when forcibly withdrawn therethrough.

Dated this first day of July, 1913.

WILLARD E. SWIFT.

Witnesses:

NELLIE WHALEN, RUFUS B. FOWLER. 

